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Message |
    
red_alert
Citizen
Username: Red_alert
Post Number: 118
Registered: 3-2005
| | Posted on Thursday, May 19, 2005 - 8:07 am: | 
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The South Orange/Maplewood School District is ranked No. 4 in acts of violence and vandalism in Essex County.
http://www.localsource.com/articles/2005/05/18/news_-_record/news/local/doc42839 b5b48296343114046.txt
This should be addressed at the trustee meeting.
Stacey could provide insight and potential solutions with her involvement with the school system.
I was very surprised to see this article. Anyone else? |
User58
Citizen
Username: User58
Post Number: 199
Registered: 8-2004
| | Posted on Thursday, May 19, 2005 - 9:56 am: |
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extremely upsetting |
Hoops
Citizen
Username: Hoops
Post Number: 156
Registered: 10-2004
| | Posted on Thursday, May 19, 2005 - 10:15 am: |
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The report should not be upsetting and really according to Super H's comments be taken with a very large grain of salt. The reporting of these incidents is done by school/school system with the gathering of data done on inconsistant standards. What M/SO considers a 'fight' is not what Irvington considers a 'fight'. Vigilance by our school teachers and administration on these infractions is obviously higher then in the other school districts in Essex county.
I would tend to disregard the report as meaningless and without basis. |
Soda
Supporter
Username: Soda
Post Number: 3244
Registered: 5-2001
| | Posted on Thursday, May 19, 2005 - 10:18 am: |
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...And the trustees can contribute to any tangible change or improvement in this statistic exactly how???
-s.
BTW: Aside from direct parenting activites and possible H&S/BOE involvements, Stacey & Co. can do bupkes about a problem like this... |
No ID
Citizen
Username: Noid
Post Number: 13
Registered: 2-2005
| | Posted on Thursday, May 19, 2005 - 10:21 am: |
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Can this post please be moved to the Education section? |
mrosner
Citizen
Username: Mrosner
Post Number: 1956
Registered: 4-2002
| | Posted on Thursday, May 19, 2005 - 10:35 am: |
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Assume you mean the thread, and not just your post.
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User58
Citizen
Username: User58
Post Number: 200
Registered: 8-2004
| | Posted on Thursday, May 19, 2005 - 11:16 am: |
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I would tend to disregard the report as meaningless and without basis.
Unbelievable. Perhaps someone should access the reports and then determine if there is or is not a problem.
I did not know that a fight in our town is different than a fight in another town. I guess you learn something new every day.
I for one would like to see the actual reports made on the fights. ANd make my own determination if there is an issue that needs attention. |
Old and Gray
Citizen
Username: Pastmyprime
Post Number: 101
Registered: 2-2005
| | Posted on Thursday, May 19, 2005 - 1:09 pm: |
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I wouldn't completely disregard the reports, but you do have to understand they are self reported.
Some districts may be more inclined to report incidents as opposed to others.
More urban towns also have more security and more security measures installed in their schools because they have had violent incidents for years, so you may see that as a factor that keeps their violent incidents down more so...They still have to fund all that security. Does Columbia HS have security guards or other security measures in place, or like most suburban schools is it left to the teachers? |
mjc
Citizen
Username: Mjc
Post Number: 578
Registered: 10-2004
| | Posted on Thursday, May 19, 2005 - 1:17 pm: |
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Columbia has security guards and cameras, but I'm not sure the cameras are monitored.
Let the flaming begin, but I also think both the middle schools and the high school have a very low tolerance for any kind of physical confrontation, and it seems possible that some incidents would be reported here that might not be reported in other districts. At least, I have known students to be disciplined or even suspended for incidents that didn't seem like that much to me, and presumably those incidents are included in the statistics. Don't get me wrong, I think it's important for the schools to maintain a very low tolerance for this kind of thing, since it can get out of hand quickly, and students should be able to feel physically secure at school. But I do think it could make our stats look worse than the reality behind them.
full disclosure: mom of CHS students, classes of '03 and '05, but I haven't been inside the school that much the last few years. |
srg227
Citizen
Username: Srg227
Post Number: 21
Registered: 6-2004
| | Posted on Thursday, May 19, 2005 - 1:23 pm: |
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just a quick point, the # of incidents per 1,000 enrolled (in SO-MA) went down between the 1999-2000 and 2003-2004 years (didn't check the years in the middle though so there may have been some wild swings).
1999-2000: 25.2 incidents per 1,000 enrolled
2003-2004: 20.0 incidents per 1,000 enrollled
If, and this is a big if, our schools have been just as vigilant as always in trying to eradicate violence/vandalism etc., then this suggests they've improved over the last few years. |
Washashore
Citizen
Username: Washashore
Post Number: 253
Registered: 4-2003
| | Posted on Thursday, May 19, 2005 - 9:13 pm: |
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When was the last time the News Wrecker got ANYTHING straight? Total number was probably 12.8 not 128. |
red_alert
Citizen
Username: Red_alert
Post Number: 119
Registered: 3-2005
| | Posted on Friday, May 20, 2005 - 8:35 am: |
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Right or wrong, the news is out there. This is about the town's perception. Why would someone want to move to South Orange and pay extremely high taxes (Note: a large portion of it to the schools) for this type of education for their kids.
I, having gone through the south orange school system from K-12, am very disappointed, but not surprised in the least about the news. I guess this is why Stacey is sending her kids to Private School.
Our neighboring school districts (Millburn/Short Hills, West Orange and Verona) has much better safety and test score numbers. I would rather see South Orange/Maplewood be associated with those towns than Irvington, Newark, and East Orange.
I look to the new BOE and BOT to work together to correct this image and work towards correcting this problem. |
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